


Abrupt

by Koschei_Oakdown



Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 13:23:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18283160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koschei_Oakdown/pseuds/Koschei_Oakdown
Summary: Will he or won't he?





	Abrupt

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to DC Comics

It was freezing in the dungeons, the air damp and smelling of the swamp. Thaal could only hope this wouldn't take long. Actually doing anything useful to contribute to Luthor's little gang's efforts was so tiring. All Sinestro wanted was the destruction of the Guardians. This was nothing but a pass time.

Yawning at just how dull his life had become, Sinestro kicked open the door to the cell he was supposed to be investigating the contents of. And at once, he was attacked. A hand wrapped around his ankle and tugged him off balance.

With a yelp of surprise, Sinestro fell backwards, hit the ground hard, and then Hal was on top of him, fingers scrabbling to steal his ring. It wasn't going to happen, Thaal wouldn't let it, that would be humiliating, so he concentrated and blasted Hal off of him. Then he trapped the human in a cramped construct box.

Heart pounding from the brief but violent tussle, Sinestro tried to regain his breath, even as he picked himself up off the ground. While Hal hammered his fists against the sides of the construct box, Sinestro examined himself for any signs of injury but thankfully, there were none.

"Sinestro!" Still, Hal was trying to escape, but Thaal was in no mind to help him break free. "Let me out of here!" There was a loud thud as Hal presumably threw himself against the side of the solid yellow box but naturally, Sinestro's will was unshakeable. Hal remained trapped.

How long until Hal gave this up? Surely he wouldn't stubbornly continue trying to escape with no hope of success. But he did, hadn't stopped trying to force his way out of the box after several minutes. "Did you leave?" Hal demanded. "That is so not cool… I am going to drag you straight back to Qward, you hear me? After I knock all your pretty teeth out - Sinestro! You better still be there!"

Clearly, Hal was determined to act the fool so relenting, Sinestro flexed his fingers, allowed the construct box to fade. As soon as Hal was free however, Sinestro strode across to him and shoved him against the dungeon wall by the shoulders.

"And here I thought Luthor had found me another idiot waving nothing but a toy around," Sinestro commented, then reconsidered. "Well, you may be an idiot, but you are at least, a Green Lantern." To prove his point, Sinestro brought Hal's right hand to eye level and snatched the ring from him. It was of course, empty of charge. Perfect.

The ring clattered to the ground, Hal's eyes strained trying to follow the object's path. Thaal wanted Hal's attention on him, not the ring, his fingers curled over, dug painfully into Hal's shoulder. It drew a sharp gasp from Hal's lips, which was instantly stifled, and Hal's gaze was hard when he met Sinestro's.

"What do you want?" Instantly, Sinestro pressed his hand over Hal's mouth, he didn't need Hal's cold words cutting at him right now, or ever for that matter. But the question was a good one. They couldn't stand here forever.

What Luthor expected from him, in giving him Green Lantern, was of course, Hal's death. Or perhaps useful information. Something like that. Information was something Hal would never give up, not without careful work, and Thaal didn't want him kept around anyway. That left the option of murder.

"Many things," Sinestro responded finally, "but none of them have anything to do with you." With one hand pressed to Hal's chest, holding him against the wall, Sinestro withdrew the hand against Hal's mouth and formed a sharp construct. How should he kill Hal? By stabbing him through the heart? By slicing open his throat?

Eyes widening, Hal had clearly understood the intention, and he tried to back off. Of course, with the wall at his back, that didn't work. "Wait, wait, wait," he stalled instead, hands coming up to rest against Sinestro's ribs. "You can't just kill me." A reasoning note slipped into his tone, as though he thought he could negotiate his way out of this. How amusing.

"I see no reason why I should not," Sinestro responded, hand tightening around his construct. Killing Hal would remove the obstruction stopping him from taking his revenge on the Guardians. He would get his ring back, he would get his planet back, he would get his life back, and no one could take it away from him ever again.

Apparently, Hal could see no reason why not either, mouth opening and closing, lost for words. Could Hal think of no reason to live? "You need me," Hal tried in a rush, but it was the wrong thing to say.

"I need nothing from you," Sinestro snapped, suddenly much closer to Hal than he had been. This didn't appear to intimidate Hal, who just watched him with narrowed eyes. "If I killed you now, it would bring me nothing but relief. Anything you could offer me is not worth the mistake of your continued existence."

That hurt Hal, Thaal could see how he flinched away, but it brought no expected surge of vicious satisfaction. "Do it then," Hal challenged, and there was no sign of his earlier flinch now, chin lifted defiantly. "See if I care. But the Green Lanterns will come after you for it. I wouldn't be surprised if they finally kill you."

As if Sinestro was afraid of Green Lanterns. He wasn't. The threat of their vengeance wasn't going to stop him from killing Hal. But he paused regardless, found he couldn't drive the sharp point any closer. He wasn't really afraid of Green Lanterns, was he? Of course not! This was all Hal's fault, Hal and his insistent need to not care whether he died or not. It awoke an irritating instinct, the one to protect Hal above all other things.

Perhaps if the attempted murder was not in cold blood, Sinestro wouldn't be stuck thinking about this. It would be easy to kill Hal to protect himself, he was certain, but even the thought of Hal's death being the only way to regain his life was not helping him. Just considering the act, Hal's blood on his hands, was repulsive. Habit was hard to break.

Frustrated, Sinestro dropped his construct, which disappeared, yellow energy curling around his fingertips, and he shoved Hal to the ground. "Perhaps I will not kill you, after all," Sinestro decided. "It is a waste of my energy."

On the ground, Hal looked up at him, and there was a frown there. "Not that I'm complaining, but that doesn't seem like a good reason to not kill someone. What are you up to?" So distracted by this was Hal, that he hadn't even gone after his ring yet.

Trying to regain some control over the situation, Sinestro played into Hal's accusation, smirking and tossing his head. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked, and this time he did relish in Hal's obvious annoyance. Pushing Hal's buttons was always so entertaining. Perhaps keeping him alive hadn't been such a terrible choice.

"Whatever." Before Sinestro could react, Hal had scooped his ring off the ground and shoved it back on his finger. Then he was on his feet and in a position to fight Sinestro, arms raised defensively. "Don't think I can't beat you without a ring. That Qwardian tech you have, it's just space jewellery."

This, Thaal ignored, Hal was being obtuse if he really believed such nonsense. There was however, something else to worry about. Easily solved when Sinestro opened a communication link. "Luthor," he greeted. "This idiot of a human is not Green Lantern. Such a treacherous coward could never be him."

Giving no time for meaningless chatter, Sinestro effectively hung up, and he dusted off his hands. That took care of that problem. Now all he had to do was get rid of Hal and he waved a dismissive hand in the human's direction. "Leave, then. I don't wish to see you again."

His order was not obeyed, Hal stood, frozen, still prepared for a fight. It made him look like an idiot, even more than usual. And not in an endearing way, Thaal tried to convince himself of it, but that was even harder when Hal tentatively began, "Sin..." Whatever else Hal was about to say trailed off, or maybe he hadn't intended to say anything else in the first place.

"I told you to leave." Sinestro was having none of it, didn't want to know what Hal was trying to get out of him. His arms were crossed, he refused to even look at Hal. "Unless you do, in fact, want me to kill you? I can certainly work up the energy for it, if you give me a reason to."

For the briefest of moments, Sinestro glanced up, met Hal's gaze, but he immediately wished he hadn't. Because Hal looked utterly miserable, and it hurt like a knife to the chest. But there was nothing to be done about it, Hal chose this, he wouldn't want Sinestro's attempt at comfort anyway - or would he?

If Thaal tried to offer it, strode forward, let his guard down, would he be accepted? Could he change that expression, could he make Hal happy? No. What was he thinking? Hal had made his choice. And Sinestro had made his. So, setting his jaw, Sinestro watched Hal leave and did nothing to stop it.


End file.
